New England Patriots edge defender Matthew Judon is always looking to add more talent to his squad.

The Patriots Pro Bowl defender is putting on his recruiting hat for the second straight offseason. On Friday, he had his sights set on Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay.

The Eagles have granted Slay permission to seek a trade, according to various reports. Slay did not ask the Eagles to trade him, but the two parties haven’t been unable to resolve contract negotiations.

The Patriots’ biggest need on defense is at cornerback, especially with Jonathan Jones set to hit free agency. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick typically has valued having a Pro Bowl-caliber cornerback in his defense from Ty Law to Asante Samuel, Darrelle Revis, Malcolm Butler, Stephon Gilmore and JC Jackson. Jones, who previously primarily played in the slot, was New England’s top outside cornerback last season, sharing the role with Jalen Mills and rookie Jack Jones.

Jamel Dean is the top cornerback available in free agency and doesn’t quite fit that mold. The first two rounds of the 2023 NFL Draft are stocked with cornerbacks, so that could wind up being New England’s path to acquiring that type of player. Or they could go after Slay.

Slay is due a $17 million base salary in 2023, which isn’t excessive for a cornerback of his stature. But he’ll almost certainly also want a new contract from an acquiring team. So, New England would have to give up likely draft capital to acquire him, pay him $17 million in 2023 and give him a hefty new contract to stick around.

Maybe the Patriots can work something out, but it’s typically not their operating procedure. It's also worth noting that Slay was not a big fan of former Lions head coach Matt Patricia while playing for Detroit. It's still unclear if Patricia will be back in New England this season or taking on a role with a different team.

With free safety Devin McCourty retiring, there could be room for Jones and Slay together on the roster since the former could move back to free safety.

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